Tag Archives: Negativity

Dealing with loss is never an easy process. It can take the joy right out of your soul in seconds, and change everything you have every know. It can even change you. Are you ever the same after losing someone?

There are all kinds of loss. Loss of a parents, grandparents, siblings, children, friends. Loss of ideas, concepts, and hopes. Loss of dignity, pride and self. It doesn’t matter whom, or what the loss is, it all ends in the same way – pain, confusion, hurt, anger. It can put us in a very dark place. A place that is there which leaves us questioning our meaning of existence, our beliefs, and ourselves.

I’ve had a lot of losses in my life. My first “loss” was when my parents divorced. I was six years old and I remember the time period – it stands still in my mind. It’s a whirlwind of events, but for some reason the moments I remember are played so slowly. My parents were just not meant to be, and I clearly understand that now, as a grown woman, but as a little girl my world was shattered. I remember asking my Dad to stay in my room so that I could sleep. I asked him to sit beside me for nights because I feared losing him. I feared waking up and not finding him there anymore – not knowing where he went. Life as I knew it was different from the rest of my friends and I was scared. I did not understand the concept of Mommy and Daddy not being together anymore. What did that mean for me?

Years later I lost my Grandfather. This was the first time I had physically lost someone. I lived in a different city, and remember the phone call from my Dad. Hearing words of loss is never easy. Trying to figure out how to deal with it is something that you are unaware of when you are 13 years old. I cried, as I hurt. I lost my Grandpa – which little girl doesn’t cry? I was a child still.

“Love is stronger than death even though it can’t stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can’t separate people from love. It can’t take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” ~ Unknown

1998 was one of my most challenging years. I was working with elderly people. Loss was inevitable in this job. It was also the year that my Step-Dad and Grandma were both diagnosed with cancer. I remember that summer being filled with confusion, and many tears. Cancer is a hellish disease. I thought I was “trained”. My medical experiences had prepared me. I had a full understanding of how this disease would take its toll, and take the very life from my loved ones. Watching them die in front of you is much different from receiving news on the phone – I took a leave of absence from my job and devoted my time, knowledge, experience and love to both of these people, my family members. I took over palliative care – spent nights in the Cancer Agency, and palliative care homes. My efforts of love and devotion could not win the battles that were in their lives, and eight weeks apart was just too much for me. I looked at death in a different way now – I was scared of it, and it had its control on my life. I was scared to drive, I was scared of my loved ones driving, I was scared of accidents, I was scared of disease. I went so far as to not order food from a restaurant for delivery for fear of something happening to the delivery man and me being responsible for taking away someone from this earth who was loved my friends and family in their lives. I was scared of everything in this world that would potentially take away someone I knew, someone I cared for, or worse – someone I loved.

One could say I did not handle this well … and nearly 20 years later I still feel scared of death. I’ve lost more friends, and family. And each time it takes away my faith in reality in this whole life process.

If you don’t realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow. When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, disinterested, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a king. You can deal with whatever life brings you, and when death comes, you are ready. Lao Tzu

And then loss, at its finest … miscarriage. This is not only a physical loss, but this is an emotional loss. Horrific, and indescribable. I have had two successful pregnancies between 2011 – 2013 and have two beautiful boys. Why would I think that this would happen to me? But apparently,”This is common”, they would tell me. “We are surprised this has not happened to you yet!”, another would say. Wait? What? Am I really hearing this? The idea of not seeing my babies heartbeat on my ultrasound, or feeling them kick and move in my belly was sad enough, but the reality of “what could have been” broke my heart to pieces. What would my baby have looked like? What would she, or he have grown up to love? Would they have had the most beautiful smile, just like my two boys? What caused this? Was it me? Was is God’s plan? Was I being punished? What did I do wrong to deserve this? Am a I horrible person? What did I do in my past live to deserve this? Did someone hate me so much that they wished this upon me?

My baby would have been born last week, and so i’ve sat here going through the motions and trying to understand loss a little better. Making an effort for Loss and I to become pal’s so I can empathize a little easier. What is it that causes us the tears, that horrible ache in your heart, the feeling that causes those uncontrollable tears. Because my mind wants to identify it, and grab it and throw it away and never think of it again, or do I? If I am able to figure out what I can do to block those emotions does that make me a horrible person? Heartless?

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief… and unspeakable love. ~ Washington Irving

I realize now that it is nothing that anyone can prepare for, prevent, or even accept gracefully. Loss is horrible, and it breaks you down. Only time can heal, and that is because of the distance it creates between you, and when it happened. Time … will eventually heal all losses.

And after the tears stop I sit back and think just how lucky I am to be alive and to have experienced all of these memories, especially the ones that hurt so much, the losses that broke me into pieces, and tore my soul apart. I pick up the mess I have turned into, and I remind myself that I hurt because I loved so much, because I cared so much, because I let things matter to me from the deepest parts of my being … because at the end of the day what it comes down to is that some people are never this lucky. I am blessed.

With each year, as we approach the closing of the year, we begin to reflect on life reminiscing about the past years adventure, contemplating the things that we had hoped to experience, or move away from. Every year is the same story – we have 365 days to try to get it right. Some of us go full force with guns blazing, and others of us get sidetracked, or simply give up. Unsuccessful, you learn to accept that some challenges were not met head on, and prioritize them into your current set of goals in the new year to come.

Every year I have the intention to work on “me” – convincing myself to let go of things that hurt or caused me to feel in a negative manner, and figure out better, more cathartic methods, of trying to overcome obstacles in my life.

The past few years have been devoted to learning how to balance family, friends, and my career. It has not been easy. Each day I work through how to put 150% effort into each of these really important things in my life … there never seems to be a cut and dry answer, and sadly when I do have days when I feel like life is feeling balanced, and my efforts are evenly distributed amongst my family, friends, and career, I find that the one thing I do forget about is myself.

My goals for the past year included finding a job that I dreamed of – being in an environment that I not only loved, but felt comfortable, challenged, and motivated. I wanted a job I was passionate about, and not just a job that I would “settle” at.

My family goals were to be a better mother, and wife – which, I am still not sure exactly what that means. Does that mean I smile more so than not? or am I just never grumpy, or bitchy towards my husband?

My friends goal was to weed out the manipulative, negative, and hurtful persons, and get closer to the ones that I felt had a more authentic, genuine, and loyal persona. The biggest challenge over the past two years was being disappointed in people’s expectations of me, and individuals lack of loyalty and respect towards the friendships that I shared with them. I am sensitivite to things that are said to me, or behind my back. I am an emotional being, as most of us are, and have let things take effect on me far more than they ever had the right to be in my world. Slowly I am learning that i’ve kept far too many negative people in my life for much longer than they should have ever been there for. It wasn’t “them” that was doing something to me, it was “me” allowing these individuals the “right” to be in my world. Unlearning the rule of “be nice to everyone” was difficult because I felt that it was going against all of what I knew to be “right” – what God taught, what elders preached.

Did I get it right last year? when I sit here and write out my view on where I started, and ended in 2015 I feel like there was a progression. But do I feel 100% satisfied? No. I think that goals are great, and working on creating a better, positive, and more fulfilling life, in general, is a healthy thing to desire. There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for yourself. It is not selfish when you want the best version of your life – creating this will make you a better person in return. There is always room for improvement, and that is one of the beautiful things about this life – we have the right to create our own choices – our own path, and our own destination.

Each year we have the chance to start over again, to move forward from the hurt, the lessons, the challenges, and try to do it right. Celebrate the accomplishments you made this year, and reevaluate where you would want to be a year from now. Hold yourself accountable for what you want in your life, and make it happen. In a few days you will be able to close the door on this chapter, and move forward into the next. What you choose to bring with you is up to you – take life lightly, love with all of your will, and remember to make yourself a priority in 2016 xo

I sit here, and I start to write about friendships, and quality, and frustrations, and toxic people, and closure and walking way and I find myself frustrated and saddened because that is not what I really want to be writing about. I want to talk positive things, and get this miserable mess of a feeling off of my chest because it feels like it weighs about 50 lb., and it’s a very heavy load to be carrying around, and there’s another part of me that want’s to say … “nah, not you again. Could you please stay away today?”

I want to be positive, and write positive, but lately I feel like I have just been smacked back and forth, and back and forth by the karma gods. I really am not sure what I have done to deserve this, but then I also remembered reading this quote a while ago which did help to change my perspective. I try to think of it frequently.

And so how absolutely fabulous it is, just by changing your perspective, for that one moment, to think that instead of being drowned under water, held underneath life, and struggling in a world that we just cannot manage to keep afloat in, we are being cleansed – refreshed from all of the toxic, negative, chaos that we are just so over whelmed with in our lives. This is how I choose to think of it today;

ca·thar·tic

adjective

providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions; causing catharsis. crying is a cathartic release

I love this word. Who doesn’t love a word so strong that just by saying it could make you feel as though you have been picked up by the strongest of person, given the greatest of hugs, and made to be felt like you are on top of the world again – exactly where you were longing to be – safe, and taken care of.

Unfortunately, sometimes it is not as simple as just saying a word, though – but here are a few steps that I hope to remind myself to following when I do become overwhelmed next time – as I know I will. I am human, and I do notice that I do follow a pattern when it comes to emotional hurdles.

Steps To Finding Emotional Healing:

Take Time Alone:

Take some time alone and figure out the emotions that are making you feel negative. Was it a person, situation, feeling.

Let It Go:

Write, Cry, Scream, Let the emotions out. Find a way that works for YOU – everyone is different and we all have a different way of dealing with things. The trick is not to let things internalizing. Internalizing things is what makes us hurt, and most likely why we are reading this right now.

Let Time Pass:

Sometimes it may take a day, or two, even weeks or months for things to digest. Some of the things that may be causing you pain can be really heavy situations that you may not even know how to deal with. Sometimes they are simply easier to deal with than others. Sometimes we are at different points in our emotional journey which makes dealing with external negatives at different times in our paths easier on different days than others.

Repeat:

Don’t be too quick to make these things go away. You have your own rate at how your body digests emotional hurdles, and your time when you are ready to move on to the next chapter in your lives. Do not put a timeline on things. Expectations will only frustrate you and bring more stress to an already stressful situation. Appreciate yourself enough to give yourself the time you need to heal.

Talk to someone you trust, someone with positive energy about things that have hurt you. Perhaps their perspective, and guidance can bring great insight to the situation. Sometimes just speaking out loud about the situation will help to ease the pain.

Abolition of the drama, and tying up loose ends can be both cathartic, and liberating, especially when it comes to situations or circumstances that have lingered on much longer than they should have – days, months, perhaps years? So, imagine my surprise when I finally gathered enough courage to confront a situation that had been causing a lot of negative feelings only to be told that I did something horribly wrong to hurt someone ….WHAT? How did I hurt you when I was minding my own business? As I continue, you will see how ultimately it was myself that caused this to happen.

I am a giver. I love to give and to see people smile. I love to make days brighter if you are feeling sad, or even just having a normal same old day. I love to be generous, not only because it feels good but, because in my mind I know that it is good karma – you can never give too much. It doesn’t have to be something grand, it just needs to be the thought put into it. It can be anything from giving a friend a bouquet of flowers, to taking them out for dinner, to writing them a nice card from your heart, baking a friend a batch of cookie, etc. I give to friends, and family members. I give to strangers, food banks, charities, homeless people. I donate religiously to causes for animals, health research and anything that tugs at my heart-strings because I can, because I want to, because I am free to do so, because it makes ME feel happy. It makes me shine – and when I shine, I feel wonderful.

I felt that I needed to make a change at the beginning of last year so I really tried to take a look at what the cause was, and what I could do to not only protect myself from feeling this way, but also see the reality of my situations. I took an honest look, and the “things” I was doing for people, and the way I was being treated were not adding up. The balance was off kilter and it was impacting me negatively. It hurt and I was not feeling joyful or happy about doing things for people – I was beginning to feel like it was an obligation. So, I chose to make a conscious effort to be selective of the individuals I spent my valuable time with. I began to set boundaries. Not huge boundaries but just enough to create a little distance so I could work on what I was struggling with. I felt that my boundaries were keeping me focused, on track and committed to the most important thing in my world, my family.

Ultimately, I felt like I was being taken advantage of by many people – not being fully appreciated for the things I was doing for them. Some of the people who I was trying to distance myself from were friends I that have known for many year, literally decades. So, in hindsight I can definitely see, from their point of view when they say that it looked like I had changed – perhaps I did. After all, my priorities had changed. My focus was on being a wife, and mother of two children. My energy was redirected to them, and gladly so.

I was doing fantastic. When I did have some time to spare I was spending time with, and becoming closer to, wonderful, beautiful individuals – people who were inspiring, intellectual, positive influences, and limiting the time from those energy draining people aka the energy vampires.

There were many different individuals, but the one that was bothering me the most was my best friend. I could feel the distance invading my friendship with my best friend of twenty plus years, but I just chalked it up to being a result of the boundaries that I had set for myself as I previously mentioned. I felt that I needed to keep distance from her, in particular, because of the relationship she had with her husband. We did not see eye to eye on many of the issues when she would come to me for advice so I chose to back away avoiding tension in our conversations, as I can be quite blunt at time – especially when it comes to situations that continue to happen over and over again. I appreciated that this was her path she was wanting to travel. It had nothing to do with me – I was just simply feeling protective of someone I loved and hoping that the friendship would just work its way through the bumps, as things had in the past. I was being respectful.

Since I made this change I can literally count on both of my hands how many times I had not only seen her, but talked on the phone. I missed her, but took responsibility for the way things were going – after all, I was not happy with my feelings at the beginning of the year, made my boundaries – so I really needed to put myself first, for once. I figured that she was doing the same thing.

The distance became greater, more obvious and awkward – it was completely apparent that there was hostility, over the past few months, as my text message were no longer responded to, my phone calls were ignored. Of course, I was completely hurt as the months continued on, but I took responsibility for the way I felt, even if I was feeling down for her not being more involved in my life because the reality was that my personal boundaries would , obviously, result in this distance. Whether I welcomed it or not, it was something that I knew I had to do in order to make me happier – it was not specifically directed at her, it was a phase that I had to work thru in my own personal world. The reality was that I had been busy being a mother of two, and spending my moments raising my children, not accommodating her needs.

What this ultimately comes down to is that her expectations in a certain situation were not as she had anticipated. She was disappointed that I did not put as much effort into a material gift that was given to her – she felt that it was much less than I had done over the past twenty years, and she was offended by it. I’m still confused how someone has the audacity to say that out loud, but yes, we’ve all experienced disappointment, but would you honestly say that to someone?? I’ve witnessed homeless people show more appreciation for the food I have given them! Saddened, beyond words.

To hear that out loud broke my heart because over the years I have been so giving. You would roll your eyes at me if you knew some of the things I did to make her, and others happy. Disappointed, deeply.

I indirectly take full responsibility for this particular bump in my path because I know in my heart that if I had set my boundaries years ago, things would have turned out differently. I would have been more guarded, and the end result would not have been the way I am feeling right now.

Expectations …. it will destroy friendships if you begin to take someones kindness for granted. Learn to appreciate their efforts before you destroy a friendship based on characteristics that you would never even look for, in a potential friendship, in a first place. There is no room for expectations, especially without appreciation, in genuine friendships.

Negative energy is all around us. It’s one of the most consistent emotions in our world. Negatives come in all forms – jealousy, rage, disappointment, anger etc… When these feelings creep up on us it is very important to analyze exactly what it is that has us feeling so. It is extremely important to peel back the layers and find the exact cause of what is bothering us.

Negative emotions and reactions can be uncomfortable for everyone – epecially ourselves. We give off a certain energy that everyone can see – I am not good at hiding when I feel this way – it’s written all over my face. This toxic energy can cause a lot of health issues in the long run if we do not deal with things. I am guilty of not doing so, and with those particular actions I have taken situations that I have not even been upset with and made them into the primary thing I am feeling negative about. By avoiding situations, people, feelings etc… they can linger over into an area of your life that is not effected – and unfortunately, when we do that it can blow up in our faces.

I tend to try and sweep the negatives under the rug, but sometimes there are situations that arise and I catch myself getting worked up over something that really hasn’t even been the primary reason of why I am so worked up. Dealing with negatives as they arise has been the healthiest choice i’ve made in some time … it eases the stress that is simmering under the lid – it gives me a sense of peace when I find “closure” to situations that I may feel anxious about – it keeps me in an honest place holding me accountable for the negatives that I bring into my personal space. This is particularly important if you are emotional, and empathetic.

I found this great little exercise online about how to rid yourself of negative energies by forgiving people/ situations as they arise. I will share it with you here:

Method of Letting Go Of Anger

Here is what you say in the releasing technique: (simplified version that I use on myself and with my clients)

I give myself permission and I am ready to release all the anger to divine light that is caused (repeat the situation that causes your anger) and from my cellular memory and from my body in all time lines.

Breathe deeply from your diaphragm. Then say the following:

I am also ready to forgive (name of person who caused your anger) in all time lines and myself for carrying this anger in all time lines.

Breathe deeply again and imagine letting go of anger and all the anger releasing from your body to divine light.

If you feel that you need extra help in letting go of anger, call on Arch Angel Raphael to help you to release your anger and also to heal your cellular memory and your body.

If you do this exercise with clear and focused intention, you will heal your body and cellular memory of anger and other toxic emotions.

But, it is important to realize that there are many layers of anger within your body, so you may have to do this each time you get angry. Eventually, you will feel and see a difference – your feelings of anger towards others will diminish.

Each time you do this exercise, it is important to forgive the one you are feeling angry towards, and also yourself.

Forgiveness is choosing to change a thought, belief and an emotion with respect to other people and situations. As everything in the Universe is energy, forgiveness is also a process of transforming energy. Forgiveness is a choice as is not forgiving. When there is someone in your life that you think you cannot forgive, then the energy of that person and situation remains within your aura.

You have been storing negative emotions within yourself throughout your life time, so it will take time to release all the toxicity within your body.

Each time you do this exercise, drink lots of water to help flush out the toxicity within your system.

Natural Homeopathic Remedies For Anger

If you find that your negative emotions such as anger have taken over your thoughts and behavior, there is a 100% herbal remedy which I recommend called Universal Homeopathic from Pure Herbs Ltd. . It contains:

Support Group – Rescue Remedy developed by Dr.Edward Bach, an English physician which corrects tension and emotional disorders following shock, panic, mental stress and tension

Willow – for those who are resentful or bitter over adverse events which have befallen them, and they feel undeserving of life’s injustices

Holly – for those who are disturbed by feelings of hate, jealousy, envy, suspicion, and revenge, for strong states antipathetic to love

Crab Apple – for those who have a poor self-image or who feel shame and unattractiveness

Honeysuckle – for those who have feelings of nostalgia and homesickness; instead of living in the present they are preoccupied with ‘the good old days’.

Directions: Take 3 drops on or under the tongue or rubbed into pulse points. If an attack of the problem occurs, put 12 drops in a cup of liquid and sips lowly until the feeling lifts.

Until you have released much of your anger, here are other 100% natural Homeopathic remedies from Pure Herbs that will help you to keep you calm.

Blue Vervain sometimes referred to as Herbal Veneris, wild Hyssop or Indian Hyssop. it is known as a sedative and is used in the treatment of nervous conditions such as hysteria and depression. Since it is also known as a diuretic it is used in the treatment of kidney disorders.

N.-W This is a combination of Lady’s slipper, Blue Vervain, Scullcap, Hops and Valerian Root. This combination is complete to repair, calm and stabilize the nerves. It also eliminates tension. It promotes better co-ordination and control of the body functions controlled by the brain.

I am definitely trying this and have seen an improvement in the way I feel. I am definitely an emotional person so when dealing with people and situations that leave me feeling drained I tend to stew over them, over analyze them until I am completely exhausted. This exercise keeps you in the present dealing with the exact issue that has you feeling negative and placing closure on the situation so you can move on from that feeling.

I’ve written about it in the past in my previous posts (The Domino Effect: When You Absorb The Negative Energy Of The World http://wp.me/p3FSnP-4H), and find various blogs online relating to the same topic all the time. Unfortunately, toxic people are everywhere, and in everyones lives. Toxic people find their ways into our world in every way, shape and form imaginable. It is unfortunate, however, guarding yourself from these people, and becoming aware of them, will help you to keep your emotional health in check, and on the up, and up!

This is a wonderful read written by Bryant McGill. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

“If you are going to be successful, you have to start hanging out with the successful people.”

— Jack Canfield

Do you really want a better and more successful and fulfilling life? One of the fastest ways you can profoundly change your life is to rid yourself of toxic people. Oh! I know, that is not very charitable, diplomatic, Gandhi’esk or Christ-like for me to say, but I am not Gandhi or Christ, and I suspect you aren’t either. So, if you are a regular person like me, and not secretly walking on water when no one is watching, then this message may be for you.

Your life was meant for more than being a life-long doormat for deadbeats, losers, gossipers, nay-sayers, dream-crushers, energy vampires, users, abusers, ragers and passive-aggressive backstabbers. Some of these people are rabidly-infected with obvious madness. Some have less obvious ways, such as the “helpful” enabler, who sends you off to your destruction with a helping hand and a smile. Some are “doubt-whispers,” who plant the seeds of non-belief in your heart to take root, so they can then console you in your inevitable moment of defeat. Call them what you want, you know exactly who I am talking about. One thing always reveals their sometimes hidden identity — after you have been around them, how do you feel; have you been depleted and drained or energized and inspired?

“From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead.”

— Anais Nin

I know you want to be a good person and be helpful to people in need, but it’s impossible to give to others if you have been used-up. Don’t forget to be good to yourself first. Don’t forget to take care of you! It is never cruel to want to save yourself from being swamped by fools. You cannot save everyone. Some people are going to destroy themselves no matter how much you try to help them. Their lives are full of emptiness, chaos and dysfunction, and they will bring their misery and pain into your life with full-force if you allow it. Then there are others who have the outward appearance of success and are seemingly not self-destructive in nature. These people do not destroy themselves, but instead survive through the destruction of others — these are the users. Either of these types of people will latch-on to you in a death-spiral and take you down to the depths of hell with them. This is your life and you have the right and responsibility to make good decisions for yourself.

“You cannot expect to live a positive life if you hang with negative people.”

— Joel Osteen

You must firmly, absolutely and ruthlessly protect your safety and sanity. Misery loves good company, so if you are surrounded with drama, gossip and fools you may want to consider that you are presently at risk of becoming one of them. The real zombie-apocalypse is the pandemic of drama and mediocrity. Troublemakers will infect you with the malady of their madness. And especially, if your positivity immune system is low, any exposure to a person afflicted with negativity can poison your life. You have to get these people out of your life once and for all. When you do come in contact with one of these people run for your life. Get to safety. Meditatively and spiritually decontaminate yourself. Scrub down your brain with a wire-brush and remove their insanity from the corridors of your mind. Inoculate yourself immediately by creating a safe space and aligning yourself with healthy people. If you have to go it alone for a while until you find your healthy tribe and chosen family, that is fine. Being alone is much better than being around negative people out of loneliness or desperation.

“Inoculate yourself from dangerous bozos.”

— Guy Kawasaki

Even professionals like therapists, psychologists and social workers limit their exposure to their clients and draw boundaries. What makes you think you can handle unlimited exposure to toxic people and survive? You can still be a charitable person who helps and cares about people, without helping those very people destroy your life. Learn how to draw a line and learn how to enforce it. Get selfish and take care of you. Cleanliness and order is good Feng Shui which applies to people even more than to the things in your life. You must clear out what you don’t want to make room for what you do what to arrive. The way to send a clear message to the universe that you are ready for better people is the kick the rascals to the curb. The intimate space of your personal life should be reserved for amazing, beautiful, radiant souls — good, wholesome and loving people. Your truest family is your chosen family, people with whom you most identify. Make a clear decision on the type of people you want in your life and if they don’t make the cut, then create some distance. It doesn’t matter if it is a close relative, parent or child-hood friend; no matter the history — when people are toxic, disruptive and dysfunctional with no reasonable signs of recovery, then they need to go. Love toxic people from a distance.

“End it now! Don’t waste another minute dealing with a toxic, negative, energy-draining person. Some people are wired for negativity. They love being argumentative, combative and abusive. Run for your life as quickly as possible. Life is too short and unpredictable to deal with these emotional vampires. They feed off of stressing you out, raising hell and creating drama for you. The toxic energy will turn your hair gray overnight, cause you to gain weight and rob you of your health. Don’t waste valuable time trying to change them. Change yourself and get them out of your life! Don’t say a word; leave all of your belongings if you have to in the middle of the night. Cut off all communication. Don’t take their calls. You have heard all the lies before. They will not change. They don’t choose to change. It is who they have decided to be. Move to another city, if you must, and start all over again. Your life is worth it. You deserve to have peace of mind, a great relationship and an exciting life. Watch how dramatically your life will change for the better once you get this burden off your back. The air you breathe will become fresh and invigorating. You will feel an infusion of exuberance, energy and love for life. With this stifling, suffocating and controlling person out of your life, get ready to live again and be the person that you’ve always wanted to be. Live life on your own terms, not having to answer to anyone but yourself. Control your own destiny.”

— Les Brown

Practically every successful person you know of is successful, in part, because they moved the destructive and disruptive people out of their lives. Successful people carefully manage their energy and associations; they are gatekeepers. Who you allow into your life, mind and heart are among the most important decisions you will ever make. Take inventory of the people with whom you spend the most time. Who you spend your time with is who you are, or who you will soon become. Limit your exposure to unhealthy and unsupportive people. Love yourself enough to say no to people who diminish your chances for a beautiful life. Sometimes you have to get away from what you know to discover what you don’t know. Align yourself with a new tribe of healthy people who are supportive of your highest good and potential. Find the people who are living the lifestyle you wish for yourself and who share your values, and create a new family of friends that you can call, “home.”